Page 24 of Beautiful Sight

Tessa snuggled deeper before asking the question she wasn’t sure she wanted the answer to. “What would happen if your council decided his punishment?”

Jefferson brushed a kiss on top of her head. “Supernatural law is a lot stricter than bland law. At a minimum, he would be banished from the city with a death sentence if he ever came back. At worst, he would be dealt with as the human traffickers were the night of the auction.”

Tessa stiffened, took a breath, and tried to pull away. “But he wasn’t a trafficker.”

Jefferson held her securely. “Yes, my mate, he was. He handed you over to Sonny and his men to be sold as a slave. That makes him a trafficker just the same as the man who carried you out of your home that night. But you don’t have to worry about that now. He’s a grown man and will have to face his punishment without you holding his hand.”

“He’s my son. The laws of nature and motherhood declare I have to worry about him, no matter how old he is.”

Instead of arguing with her, Jefferson swept her up into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held tight as he carried her across the lobby. From the whispers as they passed, Tessa could tell there was quite a crowd watching the excitement, though no one had bothered to step in.

Tessa heard the ding as an elevator arrived, and a few seconds later, Jefferson stepped inside.

“I want to go to the penthouse,” Tessa said without prompting.

At once the doors slid closed and they began to rise.

“You’re mine,” Jefferson said, his voice a low growl that she barely understood.

Lifting one hand, she brushed it across his furry cheek. “I’m yours, mate. I love you. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before now. All I could think about while Theo was dragging me across the lobby was that I had never told you that. I’ve loved you since you put your arms around me and said ‘mine’.”

Jefferson didn’t answer but did lean down and kiss her. It was a kiss that meant business, branding her lips, her tongue, her entire body as his.

****

Needing to claim his mate again, when they reached their floor, he carried her straight through the apartment to the bedroom. Only then did he set her down and release her long enough to strip them both naked.

Laying her in the middle of the bed, he crawled up and inspected every inch of her body. When he saw the skin of her arm beginning to bruise from her son’s grip, he roared in anger. Jumping from the bed, he shifted into his wolf form and paced around the room.

In that moment, he was glad Tessa was not able to see him, because he knew he probably appeared monstrous with his eyes glowing like red fire and his hair standing on end.

He paused mid-step when Tessa sat up. “Jefferson? Are you all right?” Her words were soft and reached past the red veil of rage that had his wolf take charge.

In response, he gave a grumbly growl and began pacing again. His human brain knew the anger and rage was useless in this moment, but the wolf wanted to go downstairs and tear apart the man who thought he would steal away his mate.

Tessa continued talking, but Jefferson’s attention had turned inward as he tried to calm his wolf side. It took two more passes around the room before logic reached the wolf.

Only then did he turn his attention to his woman. His mate. The only one the fates had brought to him to love, care for, and protect. He’d done a lousy job of keeping her safe today but vowed to do better in the future.

As his temper, both wolf and man, cooled, he began to make sense of the words Tessa was saying.

“You know, you never did show me your wolf. Is that the form you’re in now? I’d really like to meet him, when you’ve calmed down enough,” she said as if she were holding a conversation with any other being. She was sitting cross-legged on the bed, leaning against the headboard with pillows piled around her.

Her easy acceptance of him, despite not being able to see his animal form, went a long way to cool the last of his anger. Finally, he took a deep breath and leapt onto the bed. He crouched and then crawled until he could rest his chin on one of her thighs. Then he froze as he waited for her reaction.

She slowly explored his head, feeling his ears and scratching behind his jaw. She then moved and stroked her hands down his sides, over his back, and even took his front paws in her hands.

Only when she had explored him from nose to tail did she lay down beside him. “You’re beautiful,” she declared. “Now, I’d really appreciate it if you would shift back into your man form so we can talk about you claiming me again. Because I really need you to fuck me until I can’t think.”

Yep, she was indeed the perfect mate for him.

Chapter Thirteen

Tessa felt the shimmer of magic in front of her just seconds before Jefferson’s large human hand slid around the back of her neck and tilted her head slightly to one side. He kissed the mating scar before licking over it. As he did, she could not stop the breathy moan from escaping.

“You asked me to claim you again. I will, but it will be hard and fast. I need to put my mark on you once again as soon as possible.”

Tessa’s pussy, which had been wet since Jefferson picked her up in the lobby, overflowed. “Yes, please. Take me hard,” she begged. “Make me yours.”

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